Australian Heat Wave Causes Gadgets to Fail

Australia needed new colors to show the forecast heatwave on their temperature map (they’ve since revised predictions down to 122ºF/50ºC). Credit: Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology

The Australian heat wave is getting so hot that Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology had to add new colors to its weather map. There are parts of Australia that have achieved temperatures above 122ºF (50ºC), temperatures which were off the scale until recently.

These new temperature zones will be marked in deep purple and hot pink on weather maps. Climate scientists have had to revise the upper bounds of temperatures they never expected to depict. The seven-day-record-breaking heatwave has lit hundreds of wildfires and poses a catastrophic danger to some of the most populous parts of the country.

To put this in another perspective, when the outside temperature reaches 108ºF (42ºC), like it did in Syndey last week, it’s too hot to safely operate your iPhone. According to Apple, you should keep it under 95ºF or 35ºC and at temperatures of 113ºF (45ºC), it’s too hot to own these devices.

These record-breaking temperatures have an effect on the devices that people tend to use normally, and new specifically-designed technology so that electronic devices can be used safely in sweltering conditions.

Hot, dry winds have led to extremely hot temperatures. All national parks have been closed in New South Wales and 90% of the state is facing a severe threat.